A spectacular showcase of stars and cars will descend on The Dirt Track at Charlotte for the Nov. 2-4 Textron Off Road World of Outlaws World Finals, and several participants with NASCAR connections hope to share the spotlight.
Clint Bowyer - who won the 2012 Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway - will chase some different hardware when his Clint Bowyer Racing operation takes on all comers in the World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series season finale.
Darrell Lanigan, a former NASCAR XFINITY Series driver and past winner at The Dirt Track, competes for a CBR lineup that also features accomplished veteran racer Don O'Neal.
"You'll have the best of the best down here," said Lanigan, a three-time series champion. "You have to have your stuff right from the moment you get to Charlotte. You have to watch the track, too. It changes a lot throughout the night, so whoever wins has to pick the right tire for the feature."
Hosting the most exhilarating dirt race weekend of the season brings out all of the big names. While Scott Bloomquist - the 2004 Outlaw late model champion - has also competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, racing against his best late model peers at World Finals excites Bloomquist the most.
"It's as competitive as any race in the country," Bloomquist said. "The race track is wide enough, it's fast enough and it makes for some really good racing. It's one of the biggest crowds we see all year, too. … If it was up to me, we'd race 24 times a year at big, fast places like Charlotte."
Donny Schatz - who drives for Tony Stewart Racing - is more than just one of the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series' most prominent drivers. The eight-time series champion has the inside line on his fourth title in a row as the sprint car world gears up for the full-throttle thrill that comes with racing at The Dirt Track.
In order to corral the crown, though, Schatz and his Stewart-owned No. 15 team have to fight off the likes of Kasey Kahne Racing driver and former NASCAR competitor Brad Sweet. Sweet ranks second in series standings while teammate Daryn Pittman is fourth. Shane Stewart and Larson Marks Racing, a dynamic team co-owned by Kyle Larson, are fifth in the points table.
Dave Blaney has won an XFINITY Series race at Charlotte, but the father of Cup Series title contender Ryan Blaney also wants to score a World Finals victory for Motter Motorsports.
"It's fun to race here because it's my home race and it's a big-time race," Blaney said. "It's the best guys in the country in every division trying to win."
TICKETS:
Three-day packages for the Textron Off Road World of Outlaws World Finals are available for $89 for adults and $34 for kids 13 and under. Single-day tickets are $25 for adults on Thursday and $44 for Friday and Saturday. Single-day tickets for kids 13 and under are $10 for Thursday and $15 for Friday and Saturday. To purchase tickets, call the speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267) or go online at http://www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/tickets/world-of-outlaws-world-finals/.
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